How the Adventures Began

During the spring semester of my sophomore year of college at Michigan State, I decided to study abroad at the American University of Rome. There really was no reason for me choosing that particular school, aside from them accepting sophomores and its European location. I am a part of the Global Education Cohort Program in the College of Education, and one requirement was having a "global experience" (most students study abroad). I had always wanted to go away for a semester, not just a few weeks, so I decided to go for it and apply. It was required, after all. A hunger for adventure, and some really great pasta, took me over there, and the artwork, history, and culture kept my heart. Life in Italy taught me so much about myself, others, and the world. This blog was born when I was accepted to AUR and has since transformed into a record of my thoughts, trips, experiences, recipes, pictures, and adventures since. I decided not to stop posting when I returned home, as my love of travel had really just begun.

Below is my introduction to and reflection on the "honors experiences" I had in conjunction with an honors college project for my teacher education class. It is to Prof. Greenwalt that I truly owe for this blog coming to fruition and not simply remaining a thought in the back of my mind, and to his encouragement that I am incredibly grateful for all of my memories being recorded here.


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I had the idea to write a blog while studying abroad. Everyone does, and it makes sense. No long emails to everyone back home who wants to know what you're up to. I can just send everyone a link to this page and they're all caught up! All that leaves is a few Skype dates to work around class and enjoying all Italy has to offer.

My idea grew a little more academic as I decided to see if I could complete my Teacher Education course honors option abroad. Kyle, my awesome professor, was willing to say yes! Now I'm in charge of self-assigning some learning experiences. It's a scary and exciting prospect at the same time. I've dedicated this page of my blog to keeping a record of what I do & learn on those "honors adventures". 

Uno: Origins of Montessori 
Maria Montessori was an educator and physician who taught a class of young children, many of whom were shy and malnourished, in the slums of Florence. She found that children needed little forcing to learn when the environment she created was child-sized, comfortable, and experiential. She expanded her study and practice throughout her life, until her death in 1952. 

According to the Alfred Montessori School here in the US, "Montessori education has no religious affiliation, is not a therapy, nor is it an approach useful only with certain categories of children. In addition, Montessori techniques can be used successfully with all children regardless if they are gifted, have learning disabilities, or other special needs."


My first honors study in Italy will be to find a Montessori school to visit and talk to teachers at!



I visited the original Casa dei Bambini on April 14, 2014. Check out my post about it here!

Due: Find a cafe so small it has no name.
Reading a post from Time Magazine's travel section, I came across an article about the 10 things you should do in Rome. I'm sure there are a million and one lists like this, but a part of it caught my eye. The journalist mentioned that one of his favorite pizzerias was so small it had no name. I instantly thought of this list of adventures, and knew I wanted to include that on it. I want to do more that simply eat there. I want to talk to the owner, or a worker, and make a connection. I want to find their story. I want to have a place that I can only describe the landmarks and taste.

Tre: Easter at the Vatican 
It seems that being raised Catholic, Rome is the perfect place to be! I am so excited to see the festivities that take place in the heart of the church. I did a little research and plan to attend and journal about how incredible it is to witness Easter at the Vatican :)

The Easter mass is typically celebrated at the St. Peter's Basilica. You must order tickets ahead of time and are not guaranteed to get one. Clearly there is high interest and a limited number of seats. I am not sure yet if I will have a ticket to go, but even if I do not attend the mass, I plan to be a part of this big crowd immersed in the spirit of the holiday.


My mission was a success - in the seventh row! Check out my post on the papal mass.

4 comments:

  1. Sarah, your three self-assigned tasks sound wonderful. I love the idea of finding a cafe so small, it has no name. I'm sure people having coffee there, and working there, would love to talk to you. I'm very interested in the ways Rome has become a multicultural city, so if you can talk to an immigrant while there, and find out where they are from, and why they came, all the better!

    Celebrating religious festivals in the Vatican is a great idea. I hope you get a ticket and can hear Pope Francis say the mass. I think his focus on service to the poor and accepting all people is inspiring!

    The Montessori task is fantastic. I was surprised to see you write that her first school was in Florence, as I always had heard it was in Rome. Off of wikipedia, I found the following information (I"ll put it in another response). It seems the first school was in Rome, so I'm curious if it's still open, can be visited, etc.

    Great tasks--I look forward to reading more!

    Kyle

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    1. Hey Kyle! I just read back through this comment and you were definitely right about Maria Montessori's "Case dei Bambini". I wrote about it and posted pictures of the history they provided!

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  2. In 1906 Montessori was invited to oversee the care and education of a group of children of working parents in a new apartment building for low-income families in the San Lorenzo district in Rome. Montessori was interested in applying her work and methods to mentally normal children, and she accepted.[25] The name Casa dei Bambini, or Children's House, was suggested to Montessori, and the first Casa opened on January 6, 1907, enrolling 50 or 60 children between the ages of two or three and six or seven.[26]

    At first, the classroom was equipped with a teacher's table and blackboard, a stove, small chairs, armchairs, and group tables for the children, and a locked cabinet for the materials that Montessori had developed at the Orthophrenic School. Activities for the children included personal care such as dressing and undressing, care of the environment such as dusting and sweeping, and caring for the garden. The children were also shown the use of the materials Montessori had developed.[27] Montessori herself, occupied with teaching, research, and other professional activities, oversaw and observed the classroom work, but did not teach the children directly. Day-to-day teaching and care were provided, under Montessori's guidance, by the building porter's daughter.[28]

    In this first classroom, Montessori observed behaviors in these young children which formed the foundation of her educational method. She noted episodes of deep attention and concentration, multiple repetitions of activity, and a sensitivity to order in the environment. Given free choice of activity, the children showed more interest in practical activities and Montessori's materials than in toys provided for them, and were surprisingly unmotivated by sweets and other rewards. Over time, she saw a spontaneous self-discipline emerge.[29]

    Based on her observations, Montessori implemented a number of practices that became hallmarks of her educational philosophy and method. She replaced the heavy furniture with child-sized tables and chairs light enough for the children to move, and placed child-sized materials on low, accessible shelves. She expanded the range of practical activities such as sweeping and personal care to include a wide variety of exercises for care of the environment and the self, including flower arranging, hand washing, gymnastics, care of pets, and cooking.[30] She also included large open air sections in the classroom encouraging children to come and go as they please in the room's different areas and lessons.

    She felt by working independently children could reach new levels of autonomy and become self-motivated to reach new levels of understanding. Montessori also came to believe that acknowledging all children as individuals and treating them as such would yield better learning and fulfilled potential in each particular child.[31] She continued to adapt and refine the materials she had developed earlier, altering or removing exercises which were chosen less frequently by the children. Also based on her observations, Montessori experimented with allowing children free choice of the materials, uninterrupted work, and freedom of movement and activity within the limits set by the environment. She began to see independence as the aim of education, and the role of the teacher as an observer and director of children's innate psychological development.[30]

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    1. Hmm, that is interesting! I wonder if I'll be able to find information from someone at the university. I'm curious to visit it and learn more. I'll keep you updated on who/what I find!

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